Any television station or cable provider that doesn't monitor the volume of its advertisements will pay a fine

No more panic-stricken searches for the volume or mute buttons on your remote control when commercials come on -- the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has officially launched the CALM Act today.

The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM, was instated today to prevent commercials from blaring at a significantly higher volume than the television programs. The FCC has received complaints about the volume of ads for several years and has told users to simply mute the volume in the past.

The act was introduced and passed in the House and Senate over a year ago, but providers were given time to upgrade their systems for the change.

"It's about time we turned down the volume on loud commercials that startle TV watchers into paying attention," said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a co-sponsor of the act.

Any television station or cable provider that doesn't monitor the volume of its advertisements will pay a fine.

I have never had a tv license. It is a waste of money compared to what is freely available, and by that i also mean what is legally freely available. I have always opted to chose to watch exactly what i want when i want without adverts or schedules.